Masculine Fall

 I needed a birthday card for my nephew, not sure what to do, decided to look through the challenges out there and found the Stencil Fun Challenge Blog with the option of fall theme and I don't use my stencils nearly enough so I decided to go for it.  Trying to find one that would go with a fall theme was a little difficult but I thought a pebble background might be nice. The leaves were cut from backgrounds I made using the smoosh technique with distress inks.

• Honey Bee - River Rock Stencil
• DCWV - Corrugate Neutrals cardstock
• Spellbinders - Fall foliage die
• Tim Holtz - 3D oak leaf and Leaf fragment die
• My Favorite Things- Label Maker sentiment stamp

Thanks so much for taking the time to stop by today, hope your week is off to a good start,

Connie

Floating book card

 In our zoom meeting we did a new to me technique we made a floating book card, I had never seen one before, you can google and a whole bunch will come up so I won't try to remember all that we did. The front oval pattern is one we did using a background stamp, I still have the outer piece to use on another card. Stamped the image and colored with my markers ahead of time the stamp came with a die to cut it out. I added the sentiment and the butterflies after our zoom, didn't have time to finish it that night.

Here is the inside when you open it up.

And here is a picture of the mechanism that helps it pop out when you open the card, there is one on each side, it keeps it suspended from the base of the card. I don't know any other way of saying it :)

• Cottage Cutz - Violets Flower stamp and die set, colored w/markers
• Fun Stampers Journey- Canvas prints stamp (oval piece on front of card
• P13 - Sweet Garden papers
• Hot off the press - Life Happens Greetings stamp (front and inside greetings)
• Martha Stewart - Butterfly punch
• Recollections - gems

I suggest that you use a lighter weight cardstock for this, mine was the thicker kind and it would for sure need extra postage to send so this will be going to a friend here in town that I can hand deliver to.

I am sharing this today with

 Beautiful Blossoms Challenge 

The Flower Challenge

Thanks so much for taking the time to stop by today,

Connie

Trees

 It isn't the last day of the month yet and I actually finished my Christmas cards for this month, It actually wasn't too bad I used a few old sets of papers that had Card toppers in the pack so I just added the paper, picked my images and then I added a few die cuts that I had made in advance that I thought would go nicely with them. The first two cards are 5x6 the last is an A2 size.

• Stamperia - Classic Christmas
• Tim Holtz - Funky Festive dies

• Echo Park - Christmas collection 2018 papers
• Tim Holtz - Funky Festive dies 
• Sequins

I would like to share my card with the Peace on Earth Challenge 

Thanks so much for taking out the time to stop by today and say Hi,

Connie

Warbler

 Ok here I am again using colors for the bird that doesn't exist but I just had to do him up in purples :)  I used a print that I had done on my Gel plate for his body and the rest is from cardstocks. The leaf circle was also done on my gel plate.

• Simon Says stamps - Layered Warbler die (gel print for body) Tiny words birthday sentiment stamp
• PPD - Leafy circle die (gel print)
• PPD - A2 Stitched banner die
• Gemini - advent calendar paper

I just love making up my own birds :)

I would like to share my card today with Sisterhood of Crafters Challenge which is use die cuts

Thanks so much for taking the time to stop by,

Connie

Fall Chickadee

 I love this little chickadee but I wanted him to have a fall glow to him so I colored him up with some oranges and yellows. He is an older stamp from 2010 so I will be sharing my card today with

 Retro Rubber Challenge Blog . 

• Our Daily Bread designs - You will find refuge stamp, colored w/markers 2010
• Spellbinders - Classic Oval die
• Hero Arts - Oval Woodgrain die
• g.c.d. - Loverly paper
• Gina K - sentiment stamp
• Gemini - Torn Edge circle die
• Spectrum sparkle pen on berries

I don't know if you can see in the close up but I did add a little sparkle to those berries :)

Thanks so much for taking the time to stop by today, hope you have a great week ahead!

Connie

Butterfly and Blooms

 I don't tend to use butterflies in my Autumn cards but I am making a change there and sharing with the Triple B Challenge. Using Butterflies and blooms!

• Melissa Frances - Wreath die
• Taylored Expressions - Mini Leaves die
• Spellbinders -Delicious Decorations die (tiny flowers and leaves)
• Stampin up - Elegant faceted gems
• Stamperia - Create Happiness Ephemera (butterfly)
• Tim Holtz - Remnant Rubs - Tiny text sentiment

We are getting a few days here in there with a feeling of fall, gets me so excited :) Even though this week they say we will have a little more like summer temps, I enjoy all those days in between that are just beautiful!!

Thanks so much for taking the time to stop by and I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Connie

Twofer

 I am sharing a new die I bought at Hobby Lobby and has been sitting in my new goodies basket, it was 40% off and I thought this is one of those dies that I could get two cards for one, just by putting the innies of each one in the other.  Well let's just say I won't be doing this again, next time I will just put another background piece behind.  Trying to keep track of all those tiny pieces was so time consuming and I even lost some that I never found, if you look closely enough you will see.

• Momento - Scalloped Birds die
• Spellbinders - Labels Trio die
• Queen & Co. - Baby Blue pearls

Here is the second

• Momento - Scalloped Birds  die
• Stamps of Life - Minis 4 circles sentiment stamp set

I would like to share my cards today with

 NBUS Challenge blog - Never before used schtuff

Word Art Wednesday 

Thanks so much for taking the time to stop by today,

Connie

Pinks

 I made these cards a few days apart from each other but since they were both in the pink family I thought I would post them together.

The first was quite quick, this paper in the pack is so pretty and the images just pop off the sheet, I popped it up to give the card a little dimension.  I added a sticker sentiment and some gems and it was done.

• Hunkydory - Flutterbye Wishes paper and butterfly image
• Diamond toppings - 3mm starlight
• Stamp on it - Happy Birthday sentiment sticker

My second card is more goodies that were inside a cardmaking magazine. The papers and the chipboard sentiment tag, I used two different papers from the pack one I made into a banner to rest the sentiment tag onto and then took some jute and wrapped around it.

• Quick cards magazine - Parisian Dreams papers and Chipboard die cuts
• Spellbinders - Resplendent Rectangles and A2 Stitched Banner dies
• Jute

Well that should be it for the pinks, need to be getting those fall cards done :)

Thanks so much for taking the time to stop by today,

Connie

Explore

 My niece and her hubby are always going places, and so I these scenes reminded me of them so I decided to use it on her hubby's birthday card.

• Graphic 45 - on the boardwalk paper pack
• Dragonfly brad
• Tim Holtz - Metallic Sticker sentiment

The colors are more true on the first picture, for some reason the closeup the colors are more red than orange.

Thanks so much for taking the time to stop by today,

Connie

Happy Place

 I saw the color challenge over at Inky Paws challenge and thought I would give it a try, I had a bit of trouble blending my markers, I was using my spectrum noir and realized it was too dark so I went to try and blend it with my copics and wasn't have the best of luck. My sister in law loves cats so I hope she likes it anyway :)

• Newton's Nook Designs - Newtons Birdhouse stamp set
• Spellbinders - Labels 29 die

I colored the matting with the same marker I used on the house and cat since I had no light brown paper.

 

There is still time to play if you want to join the challenge.

We have had a lifting of those high heat temperatures and it has been just beautiful the last couple of days, so enjoying it! 

Thanks so much for taking the time to stop by today,

Connie

Vintage

 I do love my vintage so when I saw this paper pack I couldn't help but pick it up. If you like paper packs that have matching ephemera this would be something you would love, I would say close to half the pack is ephemera pieces that you punch out and the rest is coordinating papers. The sentiment, bird and circle were all punched out, all I had to add from my stash were the gems :)

• Studio Light - DIY Black Vintage roses paper pack 
• Queen & co. - Baby blue gems

Thanks so much for taking the time to stop by today,

Connie

Woodsy

 I am determined to use this stamp and paper pack for every guy in my family, and one of my nephews still hasn't had a card made with it.  I took one of the deer images in the paper pack and added the stamped trees and squirrel to it.

• Heartfelt Creations - Woodsy wonderland 12x12 paper pack, Woodsy Critters stamp and die set and Woodsy Landscape and Woodsy Treescape stamp and die sets

I am sharing todays card with Sisterhood of Crafters Make a scene challenge

Thanks so much for stopping by,

Connie

Happy September

 I forgot to post these last month but it worked out ok because in my cardmaking group the month of September is to use pattern paper on our cards, and I just so happened to pick up this pack of paper last weekend at the scrapbook store. I also picked up the circle snowflake die, the owner of this store has her own line of dies. I also added a die cut flower at the top it was cut from some leftover alcohol ink background.

• Stamperi - Sweet Winter 8x8 paper pad
• Tim Holtz - Funky Festive die
• Memory box - Stitched circle die to cut out the tree image
• PPD - Scalloped Snowflake frames dies

 My second card also has a few extra die cuts with the paper pack.

• Stamperi - Sweet Winter 8x8 paper pad
• Distress Cardstock
• Tim Holtz - Funky Festive dies
• Bazzill Brad with the tag

I am all caught up again :)  Thanks for taking the time to stop by today,

Have a great and safe Holiday weekend,

Connie

Live every day

 Before slimline cards became all the rage there were so many things I had in my stash that I just never used because they didn't work on my cards, now I am trying to go through them every now and then and make cards with them, using the slimline design. This lady is one of them, I punched some butterflies out of the pattern paper in the pack to go with her.

• Graphic 45 - Steampunk Debutante paper pack
• Momenta - Slimline dies
• Martha Stewart - Butterfly punch
• Mark Richards - clear gems
• Tim Holtz - sentiment sticker

Thanks so much for taking the time to stop by today,

Connie

Be You

 I bought this ephemera pack, it was on sale and I thought that it would be nice to have for my junk journaling but while looking at some of them I thought they would also be great for birthday cards so I used them on this one for my great niece.  I added a black die cut underneath to mat it and a dimensional flower from the $ store, some fabric tape and some sequins.

• Carta Bella - Ephemera pack (Sentiment and bee)
• Spellbinders - Labels 20 die
• Crafters Square - Metallic flower sticker
• Sunny Studio - Gingham pastels paper
• 49 and Market - Artoptions Fabric tape
• Sequins

I know a few people that live down in Florida and I am praying they are all making it through this Hurricane ok.

Thanks so much for taking the time to stop by today,

Connie

Bells

 I tried to combine the two challenges in each of my groups, one being use a bell and the other watercolor backgrounds.

My first card I used those shimmer powders that you add water too for my first background.  I didn't like the touches of white I had showing through so I kind of went over the whole background with a  paint brush to kind of fill in the spots. I colored the stamp image with markers and then also die cut it with the joy die so it would fit in the center of the die.

• Penny Black - Jolly follies stamp set, colored w/markers and Immense Joy die cut from gold cardstock
• Background - Nuvo Shimmer powder - Green Parade

 

The next one isn't really watercolor but shimmer mist, I haven't used these in years I think and it actually wasn't clogged. The sticker wreath was one my Sister in law gave to me last year and I am finally getting around to using it, can you see the bell?

• K&co. - Holly Berries & Wreath sticker set
• Background sprayed with Tattered Angles Glimmer mist - Gold
• Spellbinders - Labels 18 die
• Gartner Studio - sentiment epoxy sticker
• Offray Ribbon

My last was a very quick and simple one, I used another glimmer background to go with this gold foil sticker, I felt it said it all. I made a little boo boo on the corner when going around the card with a gold paint pen, so I used a corner punch to take most of it off.

• Paper Studio - Christmas bell foiled sticker
• Background Tattered Angles Glimmer Mist Gold
• Gold Metallic pen around the edges 
• Corner punch

I would like to share my card with Peace on Earth Christmas Challenge blog 

Well there is 3, for this month, hubby took me to a scrapbook store over in Missouri this weekend and I bought another paper pad I couldn't resist so I think my other two will be done with that pad :)

Thanks so much for taking the time to stop by today and I hope you have a great week ahead,

Connie

Masculine Thinking of you

 I needed a sympathy card for a guy at church so I went with a more masculine feel to the card.  I used an image from my coloring calendar once again.

• Coloring for Calm 2018 calendar image, colored w/markers
• ODBD - Vintage Ephemera collection papers
• Doodlebug designs - Sentiment stamp
• Impression Obsessions - Rectangle 6in1 frames die

We are finally headed for a cool down, it will be nice to be able to go outside and actually breathe again.  Wishing you all a great weekend.

Thanks so much for taking the time to stop by and say Hi,

Connie

Shadow box card

 I think this is the quickest I have posted a card I made with our group in zoom. Lately I have had cards I had made for challenges that needed to be posted before.  We had our time together on Monday, it was a pretty quick card to put together and April added a fun technique with this card fold.  W

We took our cube inks that are around 1 1/4 inches I am guessing and slightly applied them to a sheet of paper going on a diagonal, I think I used 3 inks on this one, pinks and greens from Gina K.  You use one ink at a diagonal and then add the 2nd color the other diagonal and the go over very lightly with the 3rd color which was my green.  I cut out flowers with mine and for the centers I just punched some circles out and added extra ink to them.

• 49 and Market - Vintage Artistry colors Natural paper
• Memory Box - Stitched Circle layers die 
• Spellbinders - Textured Flowers die
• Gina Marie - Birthday words sentiment stamp
• Sequins

We put the sentiment on back, I will write more when I send it out.

It would be too hard for me to explain how this goes together so hopefully you can google Shadow box card and find a video on it.  The tab on either side gets glued together and when flattened it fits into an A2 envelope.  We cut the cardstock at 11x4.25 and scored at 1/2", 1", 4 1/2", 5", 5 1/2", 6", 6 1/2", 10", 10 1/2 ".  

Thanks so much for taking the time to stop by today,

Connie

Birds

 I broke out my Bird watcher paper once again, love the colors they use in this paper  and ephemera packs.

• Graphic 45 - Bird Watcher 8x8 paper pack and Ephemera Assortment (free bird tag)

I think the flower border helped with all the stripes going on there.

I would like to share my card with Triple B Challenge 

Thanks so much for taking the time to stop by.

Connie